Breaking news this am for those of us that like access to federal public lands: Utah Congressman Chaffetz announced he won't run for reelection in 2018. This is big news as he and a rep from AK (can't remember her name) were two of the biggest proponents of transferring our lands to the states, despite this being unpopular to highly unpopular with a wide majority of citizens.

To be fair, Utah is the only western state where a slim (very) majority support a transfer of public lands to the states. However, a majority of Utah voters also strongly support limiting further commercial access and development of public lands, and ironically also support the Bears Ears and other wilderness declarations in their state by the last administration. The problem is that these concepts are mutually exclusive. Multiple studies (and common sense) have shown that the states cannot remotely maintain the federal public lands in their boarders under their current budgets.

Good riddance to Chaffetz, assuming he doesn't put an 11 hour push on to steal our lands before departing the pattern. And hopefully Utah will elect a representative who will fight the governor's misguided and venal attempts to appropriate our lands on behalf of those who would develop it, and ideological savants like the bundy clan.